Temporary-binder ring



H. T. ADAMS.

TEMPORARY BINDER RING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, 1919.

1,331,226. Patented Feb. 17,1920.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE.

HENRY T. ADAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HENRY '1. ADAMS MFG. COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TEMPORARY-BINDER RING.

Application filed February 10, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY T. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Temporary-Binder Rings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly to metal binder-rings which are especially designed for use in connection with that class of temporary binders in which a cover having a flexible back with metal eyelets therein is employed, such eyelets serving to receive the metal rings and retain the loose sheets of paper, or the like, within the covers of the binder.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of binder-ring which can be manufactured with greater facility and more cheaply than binder-rings of a similar character heretofore known; and which will operate in an improved manner.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a plan view, on an enlarged scale, of an improved binder-ring embodying the invention, showing the ring partially open; Fig. 2, an enlarged sectional view taken as indicated at line 2 of Fig. l, the removed section of the ring being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 3. an enlarged broken view illustrating the offset manner in which the ring-sections meet at their free ends; Fig. 4, a similar view, illustrating the meeting ends of the ring-sections of a binderring, where the ring sections have a smaller oifset, with relation to each other, than is shown in Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5, a broken view showing the. free ends or" the ringsections in interlocked relation; and Fig. 6, a broken inner view of the hinge-portion of the ring, the view being taken as indicated at line 6 of Fig. 2.

The binder-ring shown comprises a ringsection A provided with a hinge-portion A; and a ring-section B provided with a hingeportion B, the hinge-portions being securely connected together pivotally by means of a rivet 1.

The ring-sections preferably are made of steel wire of round cross-section, the metal of each ring-section being flattened at one end to form the hinge-portion. In the flat- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920. Serial No. 276,058.

tening operation, the metal is so pressed as to give the efl ect of a cut-away portion, or recess, 2, for each ring-section, which corresponds with and receives the hinge-portion of the companion ringsection, so that the hinge will be of approximately the same thickness as the wire which forms the ring sections. Also, in the operation of forming the v hinge-portions provision is made for causing the ring-sections to occupy normally divergent planes, as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 3. This is accomplished preferably by so swaging the metal by means of the dies in the operation of forming the hinge-portions, as to make the hinge-portions somewhat tapering in cross-section. Thus as indicated in F ig. 2, the inner edge 3 of each hinge-portion is thicker than the outer edge 3 The effect is, when the hingeportions are brought together with their inner faces occupying a central plane, to throw the ringsections A and B in opposite dir ctions from the central plane, as most clearly indicated in 2.

The ring-sections are provided at their free end-portions, on their remote sides not the proximate sides) with interlock notches, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. Thus. the ringsec-tion A is provided near its extrem tv, on the side opposite that which has the hinq'e recess :2, with a transverse interlock notch 4, flanked on one side by a shoulder l and on the other side by a projection a", the projection i being at the extreme end of the ring-section. The metal of the ring-section is cut away at its extremity. as indicated at 4". Similarly, the member B is provided on the remote side with an interlock notch 5, flanked by a shoulder 5 and a projection 5 and the metal at the extremity of the ringsection is cut away, as indicated at 5. The outer corners of the projections 49 and 5 are rounded, or beveled, as indicated at 6, the purpose being to facilitate the action oi the projections passing each other when it is desired to bring the ring-sections into inter locking engagement. The inner corners of said projections are rounded, as indicated at 6 Also, the corners at the bottoms of the notches 4L and 5 are rounded, as indicated at 6 At the junction of the walls, or shoulders, i and 5 with the circular cross-sectional contour of the ring-sections, the corners are slightly rounded, as indicated at 6. Thus, the interlock notches present no sharp edges which might injure the fingers of the person using the binder-ring; and the beveling or rounding of the corners at the ends thus facilitate the locking action, since the projections 4 and 5 will slip past each other more readily when the locking action is performed. This is accomplished by springing the ring-sections by torslonal strain, so that the free ends of the ring-sections will be forced in opposite directions, as. indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3, until the ring-sections can be snapped together and interlocked in the manner shown in Fig. 5, in which condition they are held by the re silience of the ring-sections, which are under torsional stress.

As appears from Figs. 1 and 6, the endwalls 7 and 8 of the hinge-portions A and B of the ring-sections are rounded and meet the longitudinal edges of the hinge-portions by smooth curves, so that there is no danger of the user injuring the fingers in handling the device.

As has been pointed out, the beveling, or tapering, of the hinge portions of the ringsections in a transverse direction results in throwing the ring-sections out of the same plane, as indicated in Fig. 2. When the parts are riveted together, the inner surfaces of the heads of the rivets naturally conform to the divergent outer surfaces of the hingeportions. The result is that when the ring-sections are opened, the hinge-joint tends to tighten somewhat, so that the ring sections will be held in somewhat stifi relation to each other while in the open condition, thus facilitating the operation of inserting the leaves.

It will be observed that the invention contemplates such a formation of the hingeportions of the ring sections in the stamping or swaging operation as to produce a natural oifset of the ring sections with relation to each other, so that the ring-sections will occupy somewhat divergent planes when they are united by the pivot 1. The preferred method of producing this result is that described; and such result is attained without the necessity of any subsequent op eration, such as bending the ring-sections after they are united by the pivot. The re lation of the ring-sections is such that they must be placed under torsional stress in order to bring about an interlocking engagement; and when interlocked, the ringsections will be securely held together by the resilience of the ring-sections, acting as a torsional stress tending to maintain the interlocked relation.

In Fig. 4:, A and B represent the interlocked portions of a pair of ring-sections which lie in slightly divergent planes, the off-set being less than that shown in Fig. 3. Where the ring-sections are of comparatively heavy stock, the off-set relation need not be great.

The improved binder-ring is especially adapted for use in connection with loose-leaf binders, or for binding loose-leaf sheets provided with perforations and adapted to be impaled upon the rings. The improved ring is also well adapted to use as a key-ring, which can be opened or closed with the greatest facility.

The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appended claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

W hat I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A spring metal ring comprising a pair of ringsections having pivot-portions which overlap and are united by a rivet, said pivot-portions tapering transversely, whereby the ring-sections normally occupy divergent planes when secured together by the rivet, the remote sides of the free end portions of the ring-sections being provided with interlock notches.

2. A spring metal ring comprising a pair of resilient ring-sections having pivot-portions which overlap and are united by a rivet, the inner edge-portions of said pivotportions being thicker than the outer edgeportions, whereby the ring-sections will normally occupy divergent planes when united by said rivet, the free end-portions of said ring-sections being provided on remote sides with interlock notches.

HENRY T. ADAMS. 

